The old one was far too small and they were bringing 1400 folding chairs into the games. Allen has 3-4 high school’s worth of kids and has one high school. They fill the stadium for every game. They did need it. And the bond passed.

My family carted folding chairs all around the country to watch our daughter’s club soccer team. We never had stadium seats…it was always on a flat field in the outskirts of town where real estate was cheap.

I guess in some places football is more important than education. The dumbing down of America. It’s no wonder other countries are surpassing us when it comes to education. That money could have done a lot for academics.

Let’s see you can have football or educated students – not both – Correct? I’m not sure how you make the jump from one to the other. I guess using your logic if a school drops football it will turn out only highly educated graduates. However, I would agree that America worships at the alter of football. Judging from income, TV ratings and attendance there are clearly only two sport seasons – football and all other sports to be endured until football starts again. Libby, I think that if they made Gay marriage ceremonies the half-time entertainment even you could become a football fan.

By voting in favor of $60mm stadium bonds and building football palaces we show our children what we as a society value– football played by a tiny % of a student population.

Rather than fostering and encouraging participatory sports and academic rigor, we show our children in no uncertain terms that society expects them to either be one of the best fifty male football players at a 5,000-student school or to spend their time cheering on those players.

Meanwhile, school campuses are increasingly run like prisons rife with ‘zero tolerance’ policies– which of course means zero thinking. Communities often use loitering and curfew ordinances to actively discourage kids under 18 from congregating anywhere in public except for… you guessed it, the football stadium.

And for what? A tiny % out of the 50 boys that get to dress out for Allen HS football games will go on to compete as high-level NCAA athletes, and an even smaller % of those kids will go on to careers in professional sports.

I realize this is an article about some cracks in concrete. But I think it provides a good opportunities for a real discussion about priorities in education– these are still schools after all, right??

That’s right, Bob, when the Republican mantra is “Cut spending! Cut spending! Cut spending! Spend less on education! Spend more on football! Balance the budget by spending more on football!”

As another example, kids across the nation are going to bed hungry, while the Republicans are “cutting spending” by giving more money to NFL team owners, who are then profiting from those free handouts (there’s your freeloaders, right there). Let’s not feed kids; let’s give more to billionaires who don’t need or earn it.

What Republicans are giving more money to NFL team owners? Usually, it’s the Dems who do that!

March 6, 2014 at 3:45 pm

Perplexedsays:

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While I think that stadium is an overkill, I have to defend Texas. We have a no pass no play rule. If a student isn’t passing academics he can’t play football or any other sport. So, we do enjoy football and it does bring in money for the school districts, but we also value education. That’s why we didn’t adopt the Common Core Curriculum. Sorry, had to add that.

Don’t pass, don’t play? “You turn in that homework sometime this month and I’ll get you that D-. Now, go out there tonight and get us some touchdowns, son!”

You can’t honestly believe that system of don’t pass don’t play isn’t corrupt, can you? That goes for any state or school that has this rule. The only difference being, a $60M stadium. How about a $60M science lab? NASA Jr.

March 10, 2014 at 11:07 am

TxLadysays:

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No pass no play is alive and well in TX. You have a failing grade on a mid term report card, you sit until the next term card comes out. It’s not a wink, wink Captain, it is a sit your butt down. We also do not have D’s. C is the lowest before an F. Below 70 is failing. I am the mother of two former HS athletes in TX and know what I am speaking of. Allen is not just a good football school, but excels in other areas, including acedemics, and has a top notch, nationally rated band. No, I do not live in Allen, but in a competing community.

March 7, 2014 at 8:13 am

ScinderEllasays:

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I have to laugh at all of your ramblings about football over education. I actually LIVE in Allen and while the stadium is huge it by far is not the most expensive of high school stadiums. Its a large High School and the only one in the district, the old field would be considered a practice field by ANY other High School standards and is rather small.
In Allen the people who LIVE there paid for this stadium, we VALUE education and as Perplexed stated, we have a very strict no pass no play rule.
So for the rest of you who don’t live in Texas or in Allen for that matter, I think your opinions do NOT apply here.
And before you even try to make the assumption that I am part of the booster club or have a kid that plays for the Allen Eagles, let me go ahead and stop that train of thought :) because I don’t. I live next to the stadium, the old and the new one. I attended the meetings for the Stadium before the bond was passed and even though at first I did not agree on the price I could see where they thought there was a NEED for a new one. The intention was for it to be there for years to come not just something for recent events.
In the end Allen High School brings business to our small town and promotes the economy there. If you don’t like it then I am sorry for your lack of education and understanding in this matter.